This invention relates to a training and exercising apparatus which can be used to practice both driving and putting strokes. Proficiency in the game of golf requires constant practice to develop and maintain muscle tone, coordination, timing and form.
The apparatus of this invention can be used indoors or outdoors in a number of modes, thus enabling the golfer to keep to a regular schedule of training exercise.
A number of golf swing practice devices have been invented as typified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,016, issued Mar. 26, 1963, to L. W. Sumegi; U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,346, issued Nov. 7, 1967, to G. M. Strahan; U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,765, issued Dec. 28, 1976, to F. M. Bishop; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,020, issued Dec. 4, 1984, to B. T. Kane et al. In Sumegi, a long spring device is fixed to a platform on one end and is provided with a handle on the other end. The platform has indicia to indicate proper feet placement. The golfer stands on the platform and practices golf swings by grasping the handle and expanding and retracting the spring in a simulated golf swing motion. Strahan shows a golf swing training device employing a short curved handle with a weight mounted near the end. In practice, the action of the weight helps the golfer develop an "inside-out" swing. Bishop shows a golf swing training apparatus having an elevated tee mounted on a platform with foot aligning cutouts. The golfer practices with a short-shafted weighted golf club. Kane et al show a golfer's swing practice device having a rigid swing control rod pivotally attached to a wall on one end and pivotally attached to a golf club at the other end. The golfer practices swings in a plane guided by the swinging rod.
While the above-mentioned patents do teach golf swing practice devices, the prior art does not teach a practice device having the flexibility of use and diverse modes of operation as in the instant invention.